Grandfather's Legacy

Humans are always drawn to flowers - for joy, for love, for meaning, and for connection with the natural world. In "Grandfather's Legacy…", we have met the narrator before - as the beloved and wise Grandfather who shares his views of humanity in "Did the Smarter Apes Stay in the Trees?" The current book is a treasure trove of writings on flowers collected (and some written) by Grandfather and discovered by his Grandson after his death in a box in the attic . This eclectic and unorganized collection of facts, fables, and folklore about "earth stars" (his name for flowers) included stories from mythology, poems celebrating flowers over the millennia, and tales of the intricate language of flowers seen in the Victorian Age. Together, the assorted writings reflected what Grandson knew to be his Grandfather's passion for flowers and their role in human history and the world today - in effect, his legacy. Grandfather claimed, "Flora…[are]…truly a culture-free language, understood by the young and old, the dull and the bright, the saint and the sinner, all over the known worldwide." So for lovers of flowers, this book enriches our understanding of flowers. The selection of poems and myths about flowers is a uniquely personal perspective on the meaning of flowers over the ages. And there is more. Because Grandfather had firm convictions about the state of the world and an ironic, humorous approach to sharing his views, the writings are embellished by his own whimsical fictions. These begin with erstwhile graduate student and the discovery of Adam's diary (and the real story of Adam, Eve, and Eden, the First Garden) and ending with a talking woodchuck who reenacted in a mini-drama a conference of the flowers discussing the endangered species Homo sapiens. As an author, Trapp provides a unique voice and a distinctive writing style that challenges our thinking and adds to our knowledge.